Archive for May, 2014

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Our Director, Katy Beale, is going on a week-long trip to Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday 24th May 2014 with the British Council to explore the work happening in the UK and Japan across culture and technology – innovation, design and collaboration.

I’m looking forward to meeting with people who work in arts, culture, creative and technology sectors (and the places in between) and we’ll running a salon to talk about what’s happening now in the UK and Japan, hosted at the Krei Open Source Studio.

I’ll be introducing the work Caper has been doing in the UK in culture and technology: Culture Hack‘s push for open data and better technology commissioning in the arts, and Happenstance, a viable model for collaborative working and immersive digital practice, as well as showcasing a range of other UK projects. Through our knowledge of brilliant UK work in this field, I’ll be exploring opportunities for British organisations and individuals to work with their contemporaries in Japan in the near future.

Do you know anyone in Japan I should meet or invite to the salon? Think open data, artists, creatives, technologists, etc.People doing innovative work individually or in organisations; those blurring the boundaries between tech and culture. For example, Alpha-ville in the UK have been very helpful in pointing me towards their summary of “Japanese masters”: sound artists, musicians, film-makers, designers and performing artists.

+ I’m collating a list of any recommendations for good things to see and do in Japan which is looking like more than I can possibly fit in, but genuinely excited about exploring Tokyo – from Japanese design museums and galleries, keirin bicycle racing at Kawasaki Velodrome, to temples and shrines, fish markets and trying all the sushi and tofu.

Let me know on katy@wearecaper.com if you do. Can’t wait!

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May 14, 2014

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Katy Beale

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Ben Templeton is the co-founder and Creative Director of Thought Den, an award-winning creative studio from Bristol. Ben leads web, mobile and installation projects for organisations such as Tate, Science Museum, National Museums Scotland and the BBC.

Ben worked with Caper to plan and facilitate The Great Map Prototyping Lab at the National Maritime Museum. Here’s his thoughts on his experience of three remarkable days with 15 of Britain’s brightest technical and cultural thinkers.

The Lab HQ is a long room with two grand book cases at either end, remnants of its former life as a wood-paneled library. High windows run the length, looking out over the immaculate lawn of Queen’s House on one side and the Great Map on the other. Participants press their noses to the glass, like the 10 year olds we are designing for, looking out over the Great Map for inspiration.

Day One was idea generation, Day Two idea refinement with Day Three focused on presenting solid ideas to museum staff. It’s rare for hacks and labs like this to have such a clear content and audience focus so the first day required some rapid acclimatisation. 12 museum experts spent 2 hours with participants; Visitor Advisors explained the challenges they face while curators discussed the curiosities hidden deep in the archives.

Having boldly thrown open their doors to a new way of working, the museum couldn’t completely escape the hoop-jumping you’d expect in an organisation of this size. For security reasons groups had to line up to be escorted to the Map and back again, armed with feedback from families who were invited to critique the ideas as they evolved.

Audience needs played an important role in distinguishing the groups’ responses. Where some focused on specific technical solutions to help young people uncover hidden mermaids and treasure, others took a more holistic approach to the space as a whole and how to signal digital activities. Basing ideas around Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, Kinect and cardboard 3D models, it was a lively lab that signalled the next phase for The Great Map.

Any comparisons with Tate’s Turbine Hall are made in hushed tones but The Great Map space is fast becoming the a focus for visits to the museum for families. Lab participants threw themselves with gusto at this opportunity to imagine the future of such a key space for visitors – how to manage babies, boats and 12,000 RFID tags.

Lawrence Chiles, Head of Design and Digital at the National Maritime Museum, was keen the Lab would be used as an example of new ways of working in the museum and Caper are thrilled to be working with an organisation already known for moving quickly when it comes to digital innovation. The Lab was designed to go as wide as possible in a short space of time and, while it’s always a challenge generating concrete ideas in such a short space of time, the real hard work starts now.

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From internet-flavoured coffee to digital ‘pills’ loaded with healing music, Katy Beale, co-founder of Caper, blogs about some of the most innovative arts and technology projects and organisations in Japan. Going beyond the concept of […]

Ben Templeton is the co-founder and Creative Director of Thought Den, an award-winning creative studio from Bristol. Ben leads web, mobile and installation projects for organisations such as Tate, Science Museum, National Museums Scotland and […]